There are so many stories in fooodblogs about going around picking your own berries, I really got anxious for our Spring to come, and though the first delicious strawberries are appearing in the market, the season for berries has not yet arrived. Lately, if you don´t get your products from small local producers, which many people can´t afford or aren´t able to get, fruit in the common markets is absolutely tasteless.

I had bought two packages of frozen raspberries to make parfait, which comes out great, but I never get to post (at home they eat all of it before I can take a picture!), and saved about a cup to make a recipe inspired in some strawberry mini scones by Joy the Baker, a young and famous blogger, who has some outstanding recipes.

Which does not mean it is gluten-free. Nope. This Flourless German Walnut Cake has a tiny secret. The beautiful light brown, almost golden colour, is all about the ground walnuts in it, but the bread crumbs are responsible for it too. And for the texture, of course.

The best way to pair this cake is with a tempered chocolate cover. When it dries up, it becomes bright and hard, covering a humid, light and fluffy, just crunchy interior. It is best to finely chop the walnuts without pulverizing them.

This cake is wonderful for tea-time, but it makes a great dessert, served with whipped cream and halved walnuts. I decided to make a bundt cake, but the recipe is suitable for a layered cake, too. You just have to divide the batter in two and use round 9" inch baking tins, baking them for about 40 minutes each or until golden brown. The cream is ideal as a filling and the tempered chocolate will make a delicious cover. Some walnuts here and there to garnish it, and your special dinner dessert will be ready!

I almost forgot to tell you this heirloom recipe is one of the treasures we keep with my mother, who recently turned eighty, from a very "sixties" cook-book she greatly values, by a lady cook of Greek descent, who was very famous at that time, in these southern latitudes.

This is a long weekend for us and the weather is absolutely amazing, it feels like spring! It is a great time for gathering with family and friends and have our typical barbecues we call "asados". Before the meal it is a must to treat ourselves with some delicious snacks and I made these cheese biscuits for the "apéro" as the French say!

I usually make these with Parmesan cheese but today I gave them a twist. I love to pair blue cheese with walnuts when snacking, so I thought it would be great to have both ingredients in a biscuit. I enhanced the flavours with a dash of dry rosemary. They were perfect with a soft cream cheese dip we had prepared.

These are the typical white bread rolls I would buy in the bakery for a Sunday lunch. I decided it would be fun to try and bake them at home and we were not disappointed at all. Here we call them "mignon" ("small" in French), because they are sold in small pieces and the French influence in bread making is quite big.

The size is important and also the shape. The crust is hard and inside, the crumb is fluffy and very white. It is ideal to eat with any dish that has a great sauce you will not want to spare, or to spread with soft, creamy butter. It is best to eat them just warm.El tamaño también es importante y la forma. La corteza es dura y en el interior, la miga es esponjosa y muy blanca. Es ideal para comer con cualquier plato que tenga una gran salsa que no se querrían perder, o para untar con manteca cremosa y suave. Lo mejor es comerlos tibios.

As I always say, simple things are the best. I´m saving these to have with a cheese selection and red wine with some friends that are coming over for dinner tonight. Have a great week!